Three Labour Camden councillors have been shortlisted to replace Sir Keir Starmer after he quit as an MP and forced a by-election in his London constituency.
The former Prime Minister has represented the Holborn & St Pancras seat since May 2015.
But on September 1, just two months after being ousted as from Number 10 by Andy Burnham, he announced he was stepping down.
Following weeks of speculation as to whether he would remain an MP, he told his local newspaper the Camden New Journal, that the "time is right" to "pass the baton" to a new MP.
While the constituency has previously been seen as a safe Labour seat, with Sir Keir winning almost half of the votes cast at the last general election, the Green Party made major gains in the area at the local polls in May.
Green leader Zack Polanski has announced his bid to become the next MP saying: “I have lived and worked in this community over many years, I know it well and I love it.”
But he is also set to be challenged by local Green councillor Hamza Chowdhury.
The Labour Party opened applications to replace Sir Keir in what is expected to be a highly competitive contest, with the poll set for October 8.
Candidates had until midday on September 4 to apply. The contenders have now been whittled down to three, before the candidate is picked after a hustings and a selection meeting on September 9.
Here are three Labour figures shortlisted for the coveted seat.
Sagal Abdi-Wali
Sagal Abdi-Wali was tipped as an early front-runner to take over from Sir Keir.
The Somalian former child refugee is the leader of Camden council and was previously the chairwoman of the local constituency Labour Party.
Ms Abdi-Wali came to Britain in the early 1990s to escape civil war and was first elected as a Labour councillor in 2022.
She has previously discussed her experience fleeing Somalia, telling the Labour List website in 2019: "Camden has been my home since I moved here with my family as a child refugee, fleeing wartorn Somalia.
"This new home is where I was raised and educated; it's where I now work for the council and volunteer for local community groups and charities.
“It is an area steeped in close community values, progressivism and inclusion, all of which have shaped who I am and the socialist principles by which I stand."
After the local elections in May, she was appointed the leader of Camden council.
Nasrine Djemai
Camden’s cabinet member for new homes and community investment has made the final three.
She was born and raised in the borough and attended Queen Mary University and SOAS.
She has said she began community campaigning at the age of 12.
Ms Djemai works as a housing delivery manager in Haringey.
In recent years she has represented Camden residents impacted by HS2.
Camron Aref-Adib
Camron Aref-Adib is also a councillor who grew up in the borough.
His parents and older sisters arrived in Britain in the 1980s as refugees from Iran and settled in Highgate.
An experienced economist, he is Camden’s cabinet member for finance and cost of living.
Other Parties
Zack Polanski is likely to be selected as the Green candidate after announcing he has put his name forward to fight the seat.
Hussain Shafiei has been selected for the Workers Party.
The Conservatives, the Lib Dems and Reform are yet to choose candidates.
The Tories are carrying out interviews this week, with an announcement expected at the weekend.
Restore Britain has said it will also field a candidate for the by-election.
